This year will be about telling stories through food, celebrity chef, food historian and TV host Rakesh Raghunathan elucidates. Every year, Chennai enjoys an annual food festival that Rakesh attempts to curate focusing on various themes. This time, the stories of the Nilgiris and Palani hill ranges are the main focus as the celebrated chef creates a wonderfully curated menu called Kurinji: Foods of the Western Ghats. Deriving its name from the popular flower, Neelakurinji, which grows in the Western Ghats, this festival is unique as the wide range of produce is directly sourced from this region.
After bowls-full of appetising soups, a wide range of starters were introduced to appease all kinds of palates. Among the vegetarian dishes, the Smoked Hill Garlic and Cardamom scented Sweet Potato Roundel stood out easily. We loved exploring new flavours, be it the essence of smoked hill garlic (a type of garlic which is harvested after infusing smokey flavours during cultivation), the hints of the cardamom or the mushy texture of sweet potato; this is our must-try recommendation from the menu. Owing to the population of Tibetan settlers in Kodaikanal, Rakesh has also included Mutton Momos in the menu. The momos had a soft texture and its tangy flavours were a revelation to the taste buds with its chutney and unique cashew cream Harissa sauce. The latter is the perfect addition for anyone who loves a smokey palate. The menu also offers the Kodai Lake Milagai Bajji 2.0. This dish gives an innovative twist to the traditional milagai bajji, with a stuffing of sumptuous spiced potatoes and cheese that go well with the chutney.
For salad lovers, the Kodai Buddha Bowl stands out. It is one of the highlight dishes of the menu and has an eclectic mix of vegetables and millets like avocados, cherry tomatoes, baby carrots, roasted beetroot and millets. The roasted beetroot, in particular, goes well with the tangy-plum-based vinaigrette, a well thought out topping for the salad.
Our choice of the best main course dish was a difficult decision to make. The Stuffed Mushroom Casserole did stand out with its mountaingrown mushrooms bringing about a different flavour than what we are used to. A close second for us was the Herbed Chicken, Broccoli and Bamboo Rice Bake. The crispy upper layer of the broccoli produced a perfect blend between texture and sinful creamy flavour while bamboo rice gave the dish a chewy taste, being a great accompaniment to the flavoured chicken.
The desserts were unique as well. The Pazani Prasadam Deconstructed was a reinvention of the Palani Panchamirtham, a popular holy prasadam and Thinai Maavu (made using foxtail millets and honey). The edible camphor and roasted cashews tasted simply divine. For more sweet indulgences, be sure to try the Kodai Banana Churros with Salted Caramel. This dessert was the perfect delight for deep-fried sweet lovers. We could not help but order seconds.
Although we tried all that was on offer, there’s simply no space to write about it all so, we will leave it up to you to discover it for yourself. Kurinji is surely an experience, with not only stellar food in each bite but also a story that is presented with each ingredient. Be sure to listen through your tastebuds.
Here's our quick chat with Rakesh:
Meal for one: Rs. 2,500. From today. On till April 19.
At Wild Garden Cafe – Amethyst, Royapettah
